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Old 01-24-2018, 01:23 PM
 
Location: Baltimore
1,719 posts, read 2,729,012 times
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I noticed once I graduated college, I ate a lot of junk food, drank a lot of alcohol, and pretty much ballooned to a height/weight proportion that was not good at all. In fact, at get together's "friends" would tease me about my weight calling me pudgy, even though their diet and exercise regimen was nothing to write home about.

At 33 yo now, I'm pretty much back to normal weight, but I'm noticing that many of my so called "friends" who were thin throughout much of their 20's are starting to balloon and gain significant amounts of weight approaching their mid-30's. It's almost as if what I had experienced in my 20's, they are going through in their 30's.

I suppose at the end of the day, gaining weight right out of college was probably the best life lesson I could have hoped for in regards to taking better care of myself much later on in life.
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Old 01-25-2018, 10:57 AM
 
22,629 posts, read 24,490,853 times
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Many people that are trim, usually go through a period of less than optimal eating......and that shapes and refines, for the better, how they eat. Some go through it when they are young, others at a later period in their lives..........and some never go through this awakening.
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Old 01-25-2018, 02:25 PM
 
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My husband always said til he turned 30 he could eat whatever he wanted and never worry. From 30-40 if he exercised he was good. Post 40 he has to work hard and eat well to keep the weight off.

(I never had a period of not worrying about my weight.)
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Old 01-25-2018, 02:31 PM
 
Location: On the Chesapeake
45,114 posts, read 60,226,663 times
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A couple or three things could be at play.
Lessening of exercise.
Slowing metabolism.
Going with the above two, continuing to eat the same amount as ten years earlier.

I used to be able to (well, it was 40 years ago) two or three Quarter Pounders with cheese, plus fries, plus a milkshake. Never gained weight.

Couldn't do that today. I couldn't even two of the sandwiches now.
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Old 01-25-2018, 04:21 PM
 
Location: Las Vegas
5,864 posts, read 4,968,167 times
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I've cleaned up my diet and started lifting so I can go into my 30s in better shape than when I went into my 20s.
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Old 01-26-2018, 06:59 AM
 
9,349 posts, read 8,268,322 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by santafe400 View Post
but I'm noticing that many of my so called "friends"
What are "so-called friends?" It almost sounds as if you have animosity towards them for gaining weight.
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Old 01-26-2018, 03:26 PM
 
Location: Clovis Strong, NM
3,376 posts, read 6,090,038 times
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I could definitely agree with physical activity dropping off. All the years I had PE in grade school, I went from a chubby kid, to relatively healthy looking. Then I ballooned again after that ended.
Then I got onto an okay work schedule and started working out at the gym late nights, doing various exercises. Slimmed down again.
Then a truck accident caused by sleep deprivation and another change of work schedule blew me up again for the past several years.
I'm 34 now and I've been physically inconsistent all my life.
Time to bring it back under control for my works sake.
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Old 01-26-2018, 08:27 PM
 
Location: Round Rock, Texas
13,441 posts, read 15,413,498 times
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it's called life happens, especially if you weren't really a fitness nut to begin with. people have families and other pursuits. I was lean in my 20s, ballooned in my 30s due to having kids, enjoying other things in my life besides worrying about calories and crap, returned to being lean in my 40s. If there was some way to have the carefree attitude I had in my 30s when it came to weight and food yet have my current bod, I'd be happy. But alas, I have to watch what I eat and work out, little room for error as I get older. Congrats on your loss though. I think you put "friends" in quotes because these friends would have fun at your expensive when it came to weight. Those aren't friends as far as I'm concerned. I guess you feel they got their just desserts - they're fatter and you're not. Well whatever floats your boat and continue to stay on the path to better health, keep on keepin on.
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Old 01-27-2018, 12:40 PM
 
5,257 posts, read 6,183,331 times
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I think a huge part of it is most people's jobs become more and more sedentary. And we tend to turn to more convenience foods. Heading into Starbucks for a sweetened drink and seemingly small snack between meetings can run 800 calories. A couple of Cokes a day at your desk can also run 500 calories.


I've gotten in better shape since hitting 40 while several friends had the opposite shift. A huge part is I don't have kids while most of my friends do. So they are hitting the years where work, carpools, sports and simply family obligation eats up free time unless they are dedicated to fitness or master organizers. We are also at the age where getting out of your routine is easier to do and harder to recover from. Once thirty hits most people are also dealing with much more family stress or trauma- children being born, parents getting sick, care taking, the first friends with cancer, etc. And on top of stress and disrupted schedules the lack of sleep will also kill your energy and diet.


Once you lose muscle and start gaining fat its hard to get back to the starting point. I've actually found I can be successful at weight loss if I buckle down but gaining muscle has really been a challenge that requires diligence. I spent a little over a year trying to work out atleast three times per week to gain 6 pounds of muscle. My original goal was to gain the 5 lbs of muscle in 6 months- didn't happen...
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Old 01-27-2018, 02:38 PM
 
482 posts, read 396,741 times
Reputation: 1217
Quote:
Originally Posted by santafe400 View Post
I noticed once I graduated college, I ate a lot of junk food, drank a lot of alcohol, and pretty much ballooned to a height/weight proportion that was not good at all. In fact, at get together's "friends" would tease me about my weight calling me pudgy, even though their diet and exercise regimen was nothing to write home about.

At 33 yo now, I'm pretty much back to normal weight, but I'm noticing that many of my so called "friends" who were thin throughout much of their 20's are starting to balloon and gain significant amounts of weight approaching their mid-30's. It's almost as if what I had experienced in my 20's, they are going through in their 30's.

I suppose at the end of the day, gaining weight right out of college was probably the best life lesson I could have hoped for in regards to taking better care of myself much later on in life.
One of toughest things about hitting 30 is the loss of metabolism. When I was in my early 20s I could eat anything and everything, and as much of everything as I wanted -- plus live an almost completely sedentary lifestyle; and after a year, I'd still be fit and muscular. I mean, I'd be winded after jogging a single lap around the track, but I'd still look good. lol.

I noticed the beginnings of a change at age 27. That's when my baseline weight began to increase at a rate of roughly five pounds annually. Since I lived an active lifestyle and began to adhere more diligently to my fitness routines, the weight came in the form of muscle, so I'm happy with how my body filled out. However the option of leaving the weight off altogether just wasn't on the table. It was a little frustrating to have to choose between looking like the Hulk or the Hippo, when I was just fine looking like regular John Doe. lol.

Now I'm closer to 40 than I am to 30, and my physique is still holding up well, but in order to keep it up my workouts have progressively gotten much more intense over the years. Sometimes when I get busy with life, I can visibly see the negative effects of missing workouts in as little as a week. Or if I'm keeping up with steady fitness activity but for whatever reason regularly miss workouts involving particular muscle groups, I'll see the negative effects on that specific muscle group! The struggle is real, y'all ...

The middle-aged spread, as they call it, is a reality. The body just stops responding to stimuli the same way it did during the 20s. This doesn't really have to be a bad thing, however. If we're disciplined in our diets and diligent in our fitness routines, there's no reason we can't have a soft-landing in terms of our bodies' outward appearance.
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